A court just made 'legal history' by ruling for a third time the government is acting unlawfully | The Canary

A court just made 'legal history' by ruling for a third time the government is acting unlawfully | The Canary A court just made ‘legal history’ by ruling for a third time the government is acting unlawfully FEBRUARY 22ND, 2018 Steve Topple STEVE TOPPLE ANALYSIS, DISCOVERY, ENVIRONMENT Spread the word: Facebook Twitter A court just made ‘legal history’ by ruling for a third time the government is acting unlawfullyANALYSIS The UK government’s actions have been declared unlawful by a judge, for the third time on the same issue. And what’s more, the judge has ensured that the government can be brought back to court as many times as needed until it starts acting within the law; making “legal history” according to the group that brought the case. Air pollution is directly linked to around 40,000 early deaths every year. Despite this, the government has repeatedly been allowing air pollution levels to breach legal EU limits. But this has not gone unnoticed, as legal campaign group ClientEarth has been using the law in an attempt to force the government to act. And so far it, not the government, is winning. Making ‘legal history’ In its latest case, ClientEarth accused the government of acting illegally. This was because the government’s plans for 45 local authorities which have been breaching air pollution limits were not sufficient. And the judge in the case, Mr Justice Garnham, agreed. He said [paywall] that the government’s plans were “not sufficient” and “seriously flawed”.